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Ever since the Sacramento Kings shockingly fired head coach Mike Brown on Friday, reactions from all around the NBA have been pouring in. Many of those reactions have been going at the Kings for the way that they have handled the situation, and Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone added onto the pile-on before Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Before the game, Malone went on a fiery rant about the move and about the Kings' front office in general, via DNVR Nuggets.
“[I'm surprised] for two reasons,” Malone said as part of his statement. “One, because as an NBA head coach, ultimately you're going to get the blame. When they win, it's going to go to Sabonis and Fox. When you lose, it's gonna go to Mike Brown. That's the way it works. And two, who he works for. So I'm not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person. And what really pissed me off about it was that they lost last night, fifth game in a row, I believe. Tough loss, fouling a jump-shooter. They have practice this morning, he does his postgame media, and he's in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A. And they call him on the phone. No class. No balls. That's what I'll say about that.”
Malone was fired by the Kings back in 2014 after just starting his second season as the head coach.
Were Kings right to fire Mike Brown?
Mike Brown is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the NBA, which is why it was so surprising that he was fired so early in the season.
To some extent, what Malone said was right. When a team that has gone all-in to win, like the Kings have, starts losing and isn't living up to its expectations, the head coach will wear most of the blame. However, Brown was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2023, so this move seems a little bit reactionary.
This Kings team has its fair share of personnel issues. They're small on the interior and don't have anybody who can protect the rim. Domantas Sabonis is an excellent center on offense, but his defense leaves something to be desired and opposing players have no problems getting to the rim and scoring against him.
The fit between Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan is also an awkward one due to their tendency to live in the mid-range. None of them are great floor spacers, which hurts the Kings' spacing and makes it difficult on each of them to get to their spots and score effectively.
Should not getting that trio to play well together fall on Brown? Part of it should, absolutely. As should the Kings now losing 13 crunch time games this season, a number that leads the league. But firing a well-respected, accomplished head coach just 31 games into a season seems a step too far for where this team is at.
